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Monday, February 11, 2013

NC Fly Fishing Show Review

If you want to meet the legends in fly fishing I can't think of a better place than a fly fishing show. What's great about the show is it is very interactive. You can share ideas with fly tiers and other fisherman. Take classes, listen to seminars and talks about fishing exotic locations. There's chances to get heavily involved or just watch from a distance. There's deals on gear and the newest gadgets in the industry. My favorite part is the ability to get up close with celebrities and ask them questions from their books.

This year I sat through a talk by Bob Clouser. I didn't know much about Bob except for the obvious things. He's considered an expert in fly fishing for bass and the inventor of the Clouser Minnow. After watching his presentation and talking to him I realized what he shared just scratched the surface of his knowledge. Another person I can never get enough of is David Whitlock. The Whitlocks drive from show to show. It has to be stressful traveling all the time and hardly ever sleeping in your own bed. Emily and Dave are always kind and friendly whenever you talk with them. Dave's art speaks for itself. I walked by his booth several times during the day and each time I saw something that caught my eye and had to stop.

Out of all the vendors and booths the one I saw the busiest dealt with Tenkara. Every time I walked by there was a group of people gathered around. Loften Deprez is a local from NC and an accomplished fly tier. The amazing thing is how much he has achieved at a young age. He's only 15 and tying flies commercially. At the show he was demonstrating how to tie Tenkara flies.

Sorry there isn't a ton of pictures. I forgot my camera. The fly show was in a new location for NC this year. The booths had a lot more room and the talks and seminars were in nice rooms with big screens and great sound. I'm happy it's not too far of a drive from Raleigh. I talked to many of the vendors and tiers. It seems many are happy with the new location and talking about how they can expand things even further next year.

The biggest surprise happened on my way home from the show. I got a call from a number I didn't recognize and when I answered.....

"Hello Kevin, this is April Vokey."

I had been talking with April via email for the last few months. Our talks were around her giving a presentation for the Triangle Fly Fishers. It has been a struggle since April requires a certain reasonable fee and many members of TFF are older and not quite sure who April is. I'm sure once they know what she is all about it will be a no brainer to get her to present for us. Still when I answered the phone I was wondering if maybe I was getting punked. I mean this was someone who I follow quite a bit. I read her blog and have watched many of her videos on youtube and listened to her podcasts. Having her call me was a little over whelming. I kept calm and tried not to seem star struck. I'm glad she called because there was some confusion on where exactly TFF was. She was visiting NY soon and hoping she could combine speaking at our club. When I explained we were in NC she laughed and explained the situation. I was amazed at her professionalism and candor on the phone. I'm still amazed she took the time to call me.

Bill, Loften is definitely not your normal 15yr old. He ties amazingly detailed poppers. He's super into Tenkara to the point where he has made his own fly line out of horse hair. I don't know anyone who has even attempted that. What I like about him the most is how he stays humble even with all the attention. He sells his flies super cheap and gives away a lot of them.